Reversible gerotor pump system

ABSTRACT

A reversible gerotor pump system is provided. The gerotor pump system includes a cylindrical housing with a 180° slot, an eccentric ring with a locking pin fixed thereto and movably engaged in the slot; an outer rotor and inner rotor with meshed teeth, and shaft for driving inner rotor and system. The eccentric ring has a convex profile on the outer diameter. A positive contact system, which can be a spring-and-plunger system or frictional disc brake system is provided to increase frictional force between the eccentric ring and the outer rotor. The locking pin moves in the slot with clearance at both rotation directions to provide a self-damping effect. The suction port has prolongations at both upstream and the downstream sides to increase filling time such that the pump can have a fill speed of above 5000 rpm, and the volumetric efficiency is at least 90% at 5000 rpm.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a United States § 371 National Stage Application ofPCT/EP2020/025602 filed Dec. 30, 2020 which claims priority to Indianprovisional patent application numbers 201911054619 filed on Dec. 31,2019 and 202011049065 filed on Nov. 10, 2020. Both Indian prioritypatent applications and the Patent Cooperation Treaty Application areincorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

The present invention relates to a lubrication pump for providingpressurized hydraulic fluid, and more particularly to a reversiblegerotor pump system. Exemplary applications include use in atransmission for a heavy duty electric vehicle.

BACKGROUND

Reversible gerotor pumps conventionally include an externally toothedinner rotor surrounded by and meshing with an internally toothed outerrotor, both of which rotate together in the same direction about spacedparallel axes. The inner rotor generally has one fewer tooth than theouter rotor. The shaping of the teeth on the inner and outer rotors issuch that as the two rotate together, they produce a pumping action. Ina normal non-reversible type pump, if the direction of rotation of theinner and outer rotors is reversed, then the pumping action is reversedin that the pump inlet becomes a pump outlet and vice versa; however, ifthe eccentricity of the axes of the inner and outer rotors is reversed,then the pumping flow is correspondingly reversed. Based on theknowledge, reversible gerotor pumps have been designed that, when thereversal of rotation of the inner and outer rotors occurs, theeccentricity is also reversed, and as the result, irrespective of thechange in the rotation direction, the pumping flow direction stays thesame and the pump inlet remains an inlet while the pump outlet remainsan outlet.

Conventionally, eccentricity reversal is achieved by movement of areversing ring, also called an eccentric ring, within which the rotor ofthe pump is mounted. The eccentric ring is mounted for rotation about anaxis co-extensive with the axis of the inner rotor of the pump and hasan eccentrically positioned cylindrical bore within which thecylindrical outer surface of the outer rotor is received. Thus, theangular position of the reversing ring determines the eccentricity ofthe rotor relative to the inner rotor and moving the ring relative tothe rotor through 180° reverses the eccentricity of the outer rotorrelative to the inner rotor. Conventionally, frictional drag between theouter rotor and the reversing ring moves the reversing ring whenreversal of the rotation of the outer rotor takes place, an outerhousing providing abutments cooperating with the reversing ring to limitthe movement of the reversing ring to 180°. See variations of sucharrangements as illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,171,192, 4,200,427,4,222,719, 4,944,662, 5,711,408, and 6,149,410.

During the operation, the supply of liquid from the lubrication pump iscrucial and any delay in pumping could be disastrous. While ensuringsufficient frictional drag between the outer rotor and the reversingring so that the reversing ring is driven against its appropriateabutment immediately when the rotor commences reversal rotation, thefrictional drag between the outer rotor and the eccentric ring may carrythe risk of wear of the sliding interfaces and fracture, which can beextremely disadvantageous and result in the loss of frictional drag anddelay in the supply of liquid from the pump. Moreover, wear and fracturecause contaminants in the liquid flow from the pump which could preventappropriate movement of the reversing ring relative to the outerhousing. Therefore, interaction between the eccentric ring and housingand rotors needs to be carefully designed to ensure movement yet avoidthe disadvantages.

Further, the suction port is an important feature of a gerotor pump asit decides the filling capability of cavity and helps to preventcavitation. Meshed teeth of the inner and outer rotors form a regionwhich is called a cavity and the cavity expands in one side andcontracts in other side of the housing as rotation of both rotoradvances. Multiple cavities are formed between the meshed teeth. As therotors rotate, the cavity expands and accordingly, sucks up the fluidfrom the suction port; it leaves the suction port when maximum volumereached, and compression starts. At any angular position of rotation,cavity should not connect discharge and suction ports at the same timeto avoid inter-porting losses from higher pressure region of dischargeport to lower pressure region of suction port.

SUMMARY

The disclosure provides a reversible gerotor pump to solve thedisadvantages and ensure effective reversible rotation operation usingthe same suction and discharge ports. Further, the reversible gerotorpump is enabled to run at higher operating speed of above 5000 rpm andhigher volumetric efficiency of more than 95%.

A reversible gerotor pump system comprises a cylindrical housingcomprising a slot of 180 degree along a periphery of the housing, andthe slot being defined by a first end at top and a second end at bottom;an eccentric ring positioned within the housing with a radial clearanceC3 between the eccentric ring and the housing; a locking pin being fixedto the eccentric ring and movably engaged between the first end and thesecond end in the slot; an outer rotor positioned within the eccentricring with a radial clearance C2 between the eccentric ring and the outerrotor, the outer rotor being eccentric with the eccentric ring andcomprising a plurality of internal teeth with recesses between adjacentteeth; an inner rotor positioned within the outer rotor, the inner rotorcomprising a plurality of external teeth, wherein at least a portion ofthe external teeth of the inner rotor are engaged with at least aportion of the internal teeth of the outer rotor, and the inner rotorand the outer rotor are eccentric relative to one another with an innerrotor tip clearance Ci being defined as a radial clearance between a tipof the external teeth and corresponding portion of the outer rotor, andthe plurality of meshed teeth of the inner rotor and the outer rotorform a plurality of cavities that expand and contract as the shaft,inner rotor, and outer rotor rotate; a shaft being coupled with theinner rotor for rotatably driving the inner rotor with a radialclearance C1 between the shaft and the inner rotor; a suction port forproviding hydraulic fluid to the cavity being expanded; and a dischargeport for discharging hydraulic fluid from the cavity being contracted.In the pump system, the locking pin stops at the first end to stoprotation of the eccentric ring when the shaft rotates in clockwisedirection in a first position; when the shaft rotates in reversedirection, the eccentric ring is driven to rotate in counterclockwiserotation direction by contact force between the eccentric ring and theouter rotor to pass through a second position where the eccentric ring,the inner rotor, and the outer rotor rotate as one part along with theshaft, and the radial clearance C3 is greater than the sum of C1, C2,and Ci in the second position; the locking pin stops at the second endto stop rotation of the eccentric ring when the shaft rotates in thecounterclockwise direction in a third position; and the suction port andthe discharge port respectively function for sucking and discharging ahydraulic fluid unidirectionally in both clockwise and counterclockwiserotation directions.

The gerotor can be configured so that the interior diameter contact ispresent at radial clearances C1 and C2 at the second position.

The gerotor can be configured so that the eccentric ring is of convexprofile on outer diameter.

The reversible gerotor pump system can further comprise a positivecontact system that increases frictional force between an interior sideof the eccentric ring and the outer rotor for rotation.

In one embodiment of the positive contact system for the reversiblegerotor pump system, the positive contact mechanism can be aspring-and-plunger system that comprises a cavity at the interior sideof the eccentric ring, a spring inside the cavity in a constantlycompressed state, and a plunger inside the cavity and being constantlypressed by the spring, where compression of the spring applies a load Non the outer rotor through the plunger, and friction force F′ of formulaF′=μ*N, μ is a coefficient of the frictional contact, is applied torotate the eccentric ring with the outer rotor and inner rotor duringrotation direction change.

In the embodiment, the plunger can be coated with a FerriticNitro-Carburizing (FNC) friction coating. Optionally, the cavity isformed by a drill through hole in the eccentric ring with a cap added atthe outer diameter of the eccentric ring.

In another embodiment of the positive contact system for the reversiblegerotor pump system, the positive contact mechanism can be a frictionaldisc brake type mechanism comprising spring, piston, and pads, and thefrictional disc brake system provides spring force to hold the eccentricring and the outer rotor at the second position, and outlet pressurereleases pads and allow the eccentric ring and the outer rotor to rotatefreely in the first and third positions.

The gerotor can be configured so that the locking pin moves in the slotwith clearance at both clockwise and counterclockwise directions toprovide a self-damping effect to avoid loading impact.

The gerotor can be configured so that the suction port for the pump canfurther comprises prolongations at the upstream side and the downstreamside. By using the design of the suction port, the reversible gerotorpump can have a fill speed of above 5000 rpm, and the volumetricefficiency is at least 90% at 5000 rpm.

A transmission system for vehicles can comprise the reversible gerotorpump system. The transmission system can be configured so that the inletand outlet ports remain as connected and do not need to be reversed whenthe inner rotor reverses rotation direction.

The gerotor can be configured in an electric vehicle comprising thetransmission system of the present invention. The electric vehicle canbe a heavy duty truck.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A to 1C are sectional views showing the positions of thereversible gerotor pump in operation, where FIG. 1A shows the firstposition where the locking pin stops at the first end of the 180° slotand the eccentric ring rotation stops at the top when the shaft rotatesclockwise; FIG. 1B shows the second position, which is an intermediateposition, where the eccentric ring, outer rotor, and inner rotor rotateas one part with the shaft; and FIG. 1C shows the third position wherethe locking pin stops at the second end of the 180° slot and theeccentric ring rotation stops at the bottom when the shaft rotatescounterclockwise.

FIGS. 2A and 2B show the eccentric ring in the reversible gerotor pump,where FIG. 2A shows the side view of the eccentric ring, and FIG. 2Bshows the cross-sectional view of the eccentric ring along A-A′ line.

FIGS. 3A to 3C show one embodiment of the positive contact mechanismusing a spring-and-plunger arrangement in the reversible gerotor pump,where FIG. 3A is a sectional view, FIG. 3B is a side view, and FIG. 3Cis a partial enlarged view of the showing the spring-and-plungerarrangement in FIGS. 3A and 3B.

FIGS. 4A to 4C show another embodiment of the positive contact mechanismusing a frictional disc brake type arrangement, where FIG. 4A shows thespring, piston, and pads acting on the pump, FIG. 4B shows the springholding eccentric ring and outer rotor together with help of pads andspring force at the second position, and FIG. 4C shows that outletpressure releases pad and allow the eccentric ring and outer rotor torotate freely in the first and third positions.

FIG. 5 shows the reversible gerotor pump of the present invention withclearance in movement of the locking pin within the slot of the housingto provide a self-damping mechanism.

FIG. 6 shows the assembly of the reversible gerotor pump in theconstruction of the transmission for the vehicle.

FIG. 7 shows the suction and discharge ports for the gerotor pump in theprior art.

FIGS. 8A and 8B show the design of the suction port for the reversiblegerotor pump of the present disclosure, where FIG. 8A shows the suctionport with prolongations, and FIG. 8B shows the prolongations inconnection with changes in the cavity for suction.

FIGS. 9A and 9B show the assembly and details of the suction port forthe reversible gerotor pump, where FIG. 9A shows the top view of thepump and suction and discharge ports, and FIG. 9B shows thecross-sectional view of the pump and suction and discharge ports alongE-E′ line in FIG. 9A.

FIGS. 10A to 10F show performance comparison in volume fraction betweenthe conventional gerotor pump and the reversible gerotor pump with thesuction port, where FIG. 10A shows the view of vapor fraction at 0degree in the conventional gerotor pump, FIG. 10B shows the view ofvapor fraction at 30 degree in the conventional gerotor pump, FIG. 10Cshows the view of vapor fraction at 60 degree in the conventionalgerotor pump, FIG. 10D shows the view of vapor fraction at 0 degree inthe reversible gerotor pump with the suction port of the presentdisclosure, FIG. 10E shows the view of vapor fraction at 30 degree inthe reversible gerotor pump with the suction port of the presentdisclosure, and FIG. 10F shows the view of vapor fraction at 60 degreein the reversible gerotor pump with the suction port of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the fill speed curve for the conventionalgerotor pump, where the vertical axis shows the flow rate (LPM) and thevertical line shows the fill speed; 111 shows the linear line, 112 shows2% drop line, and 113 shows the computational fluid dynamic (CFD) line.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing comparison of flow rate between theconventional gerotor pump (122) and the reversible gerotor pump with thesuction port of the present disclosure (121), where the vertical axisrepresents the flow rate (LPM), and vertical lines show the fill speed.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing comparison of volumetric efficiency betweenthe conventional gerotor pump (124) and the reversible gerotor pump withthe suction port of the present disclosure (123), where the verticalaxis represents the volumetric efficiency (%), and the vertical lineshows the speed drawn at 5000 rpm.

Reference numerals used in the figures correspond to the followingstructures: 10—reversible gerotor pump; 11—slot; 11 a—first end of slot;11 b—second end of slot; 12—locking pin; 13—eccentric ring; 14—housing;15—shaft; 16—inner rotor; 17—outer rotor; 18—inlet direction;18′—direction from inlet to the pump; 19—outlet direction; 20—outerplate; 21 a, 21 b, 21 c—axle center for shaft at different positions; 22a, 22 b, 22 c—axle center for outer rotor at different positions;

-   -   C1—radial clearance between shaft and inner rotor; C2—radial        clearance between outer rotor and interior of the eccentric        ring; C3—radial clearance between interior of the housing and        exterior of the eccentric ring; D1, D2—arrows showing direction        of movement and clearance through slot;    -   30—suction port; 30 a—upstream side; 30 b—downstream side; 31,        31′—prolongation; 32—discharge port; 40—cavity for discharge;        50, 50′—cavity for suction; 60—external tooth of inner rotor;        71—inner tooth of outer rotor; 72—recess area between inner        teeth of outer rotor;    -   100—positive contact mechanism; 101, 101′—spring; 102—plunger;        103—cavity; 104—piston; 105—pads; 111—linear line; 112—2% drop        line; 113—computational fluid dynamic (CFD) line; 121—fill speed        curve for the gerotor pump of the present disclosure; 122—fill        speed curve for the conventional gerotor pump; 123—volumetric        efficiency curve for the gerotor pump of the present disclosure;        124—volumetric efficiency curve for the conventional gerotor        pump; 131, 132—convex outer surfaces of the eccentric ring.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Existing truck transmission has only unidirectional lubrication pump.However, in some applications, it is desired to remove the reverse gear.Now, when the heavy duty electric vehicle has no reverse gear mechanism,the transmission for the electric vehicle must have a lubrication pumpwith the ability to work in both clockwise and counterclockwise rotationdirections while using the same ports for suction and discharge of thehydraulic fluid unidirectionally.

Reversible gerotor pumps are designed for supplying hydraulic fluid forthe vehicle transmission. The lubrication pump is expected to support amaximum operating speed of 5000 rpm and 95% volumetric efficiency in aheavy duty electric vehicle automatic 4-speed transmission. Theconventional design of a gerotor pump provides two symmetric bean shapedports at the suction and discharge sides, which are symmetric about thex-axis, as in FIG. 7 . Research (as shown in FIG. 11 ) reveals that theconventional gerotor pump has the fill speed (maximum operating speed)at 3300 rpm and volumetric efficiency at 68%, both of which are lessthan the critical to quality (CTQ) requirements. It is happening becauseof insufficient filling of the pump cavity volume through the suctionport at higher speed due to cavitation and thus, reduction in pumpdischarge flow. Therefore, there is a constant need for improving thedesign of the reversible gerotor pump to improve volume efficiency ofthe cavities and the filling and operating speed.

As shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C, the reversible gerotor pump 10 of thepresent invention comprises a cylindrical housing 14 with a slot 11 of180 degree along a periphery of the housing. Slot 11 is defined by afirst end 11 a at the top and a second end 11 b at the bottom. Aneccentric ring 13 for adjusting eccentricity is positioned withinhousing 14, and radial clearance C3 is defined between eccentric ring 13and housing 14. As shown in FIG. 1A, a locking pin 12 is fixed to theouter periphery of eccentric ring 13 at the thickest portion (along A-A′line in FIG. 2A) and movably engaged in slot 11 between the first end 11a and the second end 11 b in housing 14.

An outer rotor 17 is positioned within eccentric ring 13, and radialclearance C2 is defined between eccentric ring 13 and outer rotor 17.Outer rotor 17 has a plurality of internal teeth 71 with recesses 72defined between adjacent teeth 71. Outer rotor 17 and eccentric ring 13are located eccentrically. An inner rotor 16 is positioned within outerrotor 17. Inner rotor 16 comprises a plurality of external teeth 60,where at least a portion of the external teeth 60 of inner rotor 16 areengaged with at least a portion of internal teeth 71 of outer rotor 17at the recesses 72. Inner rotor 16 and outer rotor 17 are eccentricrelative to one another. An inner rotor tip clearance Ci is defined as aradial clearance between the tip of the external tooth and the moveableportion of the outer rotor corresponding to the external tooth. A shaft15 is coupled with inner rotor 16 for rotatably driving inner rotor 16.A radial clearance C1 is defined between shaft 15 and inner rotor 16.

When shaft 15 rotates and drives inner rotor 16 to rotate in the samedirection, the plurality of meshed teeth 60 of inner rotor 16 andinternal teeth 71 of outer rotor 17 form a plurality of cavities 50 and50 that expand and contract as they rotate. While rotating, cavity 50 isbeing expanded and forms a basis for a sucking port and inlet (direction18 and 18′ as shown in FIG. 6 ), and cavity 40 is being contracted andforms a basis for a discharge port and outlet (direction 19 as shown inFIG. 6 ).

As shown in FIG. 1A, reversible gerotor pump 10 rotates clockwise and isin the first position. Locking pin 12 stops at the top, i.e., the firstend 11 a, and clockwise rotation of eccentric ring 13 is stopped, whileinner rotor 16 and outer rotor 17 rotate clockwise with shaft 15 withthe inlet and outlet function for suction and discharge, respectively.As reversible gerotor pump 10 is in clockwise rotation, each cavityformed between the external tooth 60 of inner rotor 16 and correspondingrecess 72 of outer rotor 17, as illustrated by shaded area 50 on theright side in FIG. 1A, increases in volume, thus creating a vacuum andsuction force to draw hydraulic liquid into the cavity through theinlet; at the same time, each cavity formed between the external tooth60 of inner rotor 16 and corresponding recess 72 of outer rotor 17, asillustrated by shaded area 40 on the left side in FIG. 1A, decreases involume, thus creating a pressure to discharge hydraulic fluid in thecavity through outlet. In the first position, reversible gerotor pump 10of the present invention has contact at C1, C2, and C3 shown in FIG. 1A,and axel center 21 a of shaft 15 is directly above axel center 22 a ofouter rotor 17. If shaft 15 rotates at speed +n, then, inner rotor 16rotates at speed +n as well, outer rotor rotates at speed +n×(number ofexternal teeth of inner rotor/number of interior teeth of outer rotor),and eccentric ring 13 is not rotating; contact force F (F₁ at C1 and F₃at C3) is represented by formula (1):F=T/r  (1),

where T is torque required to rotate reversible gerotor pump 10 and r isthe radius at the contact.

When reversible gerotor pump 10 starts to rotate in the reversaldirection, i.e., counterclockwise, it comes to the third position asshown in FIG. 1C through a second position shown in FIG. 1B. As shown inFIG. 1B, reversible gerotor pump 10 is in an intermediate (second)position where there are contact at C1 and C2 and eccentric ring 13,outer rotor 17, and inner rotor 16 rotate as one part with shaft 15.Reversible gerotor pump 10 will pass through the second position whenshaft 15 changes rotation direction, such as from clockwise tocounterclockwise or from counterclockwise to clockwise. When therotation direction changes, eccentric ring 13 is driven to rotate in thereversed rotating direction by contact force between eccentric ring 13and outer rotor 17 while locking pin 12 moves along slot 11 until itstops at the second end 11 b, the bottom, to stop rotation of eccentricring 13. In the second position, reversible gerotor pump 10 has contactat C1 and C2 as shown in FIG. 1B (axel center 21 b of shaft 15 is at thesame horizontal line as axel center 22 b of outer rotor 17). If shaft 15now rotates at speed −n, then, all inner rotor 16, outer rotor 17, andeccentric ring 13 rotate at speed −n; contact force F₂ at C2 in thesecond position is represented by formula (2):F ₂ =mrω ²  (2),

where m is the mass of eccentric ring 13, r is the radius at the contactC2, and ω is the angular speed of eccentric ring 13.

The condition to avoid sticking and achieving interior diameter contacton eccentric ring at C2 during the rotation direction change of shaft 15is as in formula (3):C3>ΣC1,C2,C1  (3),

where C1 is the radial clearance between shaft 15 and inner rotor 16 atthat position; C2 is the radial clearance between outer rotor 17 andeccentric ring 13 at that position, C3 is the radial clearance betweeneccentric ring 13 and housing 14 at that position, and Ci is inner rotortip clearance between the tip of external tooth 60 and correspondingpart of the outer rotor.

As shown in FIG. 1C, reversible gerotor pump 10 comes to the thirdposition in the reversed rotation, i.e., counterclockwise, whereeccentric ring 13 comes at the bottom, and shaft 15, along with innerrotor 16 and outer rotor 17, rotates counterclockwise. At the thirdposition, locking pin 12 stops at the bottom, i.e., the second end 11 b,and counterclockwise rotation of eccentric ring 13 is stopped, whileinner rotor 16 and outer rotor 17 rotate counterclockwise with shaft 15,and directions of inlet 18 and 18′, and direction of outlet 19 forsuction and discharge are shown, respectively. As reversible gerotorpump 10 is in counterclockwise rotation, each cavity formed between theexternal tooth 60 of inner rotor 16 and corresponding recess 72 of outerrotor 17, as illustrated by shaded area 50 on the right side in FIG. 1C,increases in volume, thus creating a vacuum and suction force to drawhydraulic liquid into the cavity through the inlet; at the same time,each cavity formed between the external tooth 60 of inner rotor 16 andcorresponding recess 72 of outer rotor 17, as illustrated by shaded area40 on the left side in FIG. 1C, decreases in volume, thus creating apressure to discharge hydraulic fluid in the cavity through the outlet.In the third position, reversible gerotor pump 10 has contact at C1, C2,and C3 shown in FIG. 1C, and axel center 21 c of shaft 15 is directlybelow axel center 22 c of outer rotor 17. If shaft 15 rotates at speed−n, then inner rotor 16 rotates at speed −n, outer rotor rotates atspeed −n×(number of external teeth of inner rotor/number of interiorteeth of outer rotor), and eccentric ring 13 is not rotating; contactforce Fat contact points C1 and C3 is again represented by formula (1)as in the first position, where T is torque required to rotatereversible gerotor pump 10 and r is the radius at the contact point.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the outer periphery and internal shape of eccentricring 13 are both cylindrical, however, they are not concentric while thethickness of eccentric ring 13 is distributed symmetrically along A-A′center line. The eccentric ring comprises an annulus of material, aninner circumference, and an outer circumference of the annulus, wherethe two circumferences are not concentric, thereby creating aneccentricity in the thickness of the eccentric ring. The thickness ofthe eccentric ring is uneven but distributed along the periphery of thecircumference while symmetrically along the A-A′ line. Locking pin 12 isfixed to the thickest part of eccentric ring 13. As shown in FIG. 2B,eccentric ring 13 has convex profile (131, 132) on the outer diametersand both sides, which helps to maintain lubrication file on the surfaceand keep line contact, instead of surface contact, in the secondposition as shown in FIG. 1B. The convex profile of eccentric ring 13reduces tendency of sticking at the second position. When reversiblegerotor pump 10 is in the first position as shown in FIG. 1A and thirdposition as shown in FIG. 1C, the profile becomes flat on the outerdiameter of eccentric ring 13 due to torque load.

During the reversal of rotation direction, it may occur that the inertiaand convex profile of the eccentric ring are not able to overcomesticking. A positive contact mechanism can be provided to increase thefrictional drag between the eccentric ring and rotating rotors andovercome sticking.

In the first embodiment of the positive contact system as shown in FIGS.3A and 3B, positive contact mechanism 100 is provided at a higherthickness side of eccentric ring 13. As shown in the partially enlargedview in FIG. 3C, spring 101 and plunger 102 are arranged in cavity 103such that spring 101 remains in compressed state. Due to the compressionof spring 101, a load (N) is acting on outer rotor through plunger 102according to the friction force formula (4):F′=μ*N  equation (4),

wherein F′ is the friction force, N is the load, and μ is thecoefficient that depends on the friction surface and working condition.Thus, an increase in the load (N) results in more friction force F whichis capable of rotating eccentric ring 13. If required, plunger 102 canhave Ferritic Nitro-Carburizing (FNC) friction coating which results inhigher coefficient μ of the friction. FNC coating helps increase staticcoefficient of friction and reduce tendency of wear. Moreover, if cavity103 is difficult to manufacture in eccentric ring 13, a drill throughhole with a cap added at the outer diameter of eccentric ring 13 can beused.

In the second embodiment of the positive contact system as shown inFIGS. 4A to 4C, a frictional disc brake type positive contact mechanismis provided. The positive contact system comprises spring, piston, andpads that are arranged on the pump system as in the frictional discbrake system. The working mechanism and components of the conventionalfrictional disc brake system is well known where, based on the PascalLaw, the force applied to the pad is proportional to the area of the padin the system. The frictional disc brake type positive contact system inthe present invention further provides added auto release function inaddition to the frictional force. As shown in FIGS. 4A to 4C, africtional disc brake type positive contact mechanism comprises spring101′, piston 104, and pad 105. As shown in FIG. 4B, spring 101′ holdeccentric ring 13 and outer rotor 17 together with help of pads 105 andspring force at the second position. As shown in FIG. 4C, as the pumprotates, outlet pressure releases pads 105 and allow eccentric ring 13and outer rotor 17 to rotate freely at the first and third positions. Inapplication, when shaft 15 is rotating at slow speed during switching ofrotation direction (from clockwise to counterclockwise or vice versa) orcontact force F₂ in accordance with formula (2) in the second positionis not sufficient to rotate eccentric ring 13, positive contactmechanism with friction disc brake pads 105 is especially useful. In oneembodiment of the frictional disc brake positive contact system, thespring may be a Bellvile or wave spring that can be crushed by the fluidpressure and then expand to push the piston to the left and compress thefriction discs. Friction discs would have a natural “compliance” wherebythey expand when rotating to release grip.

Furthermore, in the reversible gerotor pump of the present invention,the locking pin moves within the slot in both directions with clearance.As shown in FIG. 5 , clearance in both moving directions D1 and D2provide self damping effect to avoid impact loading, locking pin 12moves within the confinement of slot 11.

As shown in FIG. 6 , reversible gerotor pump 10 of the present inventionis assembled for use in vehicle transmission. Under outer plate 20,hydraulic fluid is sucked into reversible gerotor pump 10 throughdirection of inlet 18 and following direction 18′ into the cavitybetween meshing teeth of inner rotor 16 and outer rotor 17, while outerrotor 17 is in eccentric ring 13 which is confined by locking pin 12fixed thereto within housing 14. As shaft 15 rotates, inner and outerrotors rotate, and hydraulic fluid is discharged through direction ofoutlet 19.

The reversible gerotor pump can further comprise a novel design for thesuction port with elongations at sides. As shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C,meshed teeth 60 of inner rotor 16 and teeth 71 of outer rotor 17 formregions called cavities 40 and 50, and some cavity expands in one side50 and contracts in other side 40 of housing 14 as rotation of bothrotors advances. Rotation of rotor forms multiple cavities between therotor teeth.

The suction port of the reversible gerotor pump decides the fillingcapability of cavity and helps to prevent cavitation. Further, at anyangular position of rotation, the cavity should not connect dischargeand suction ports at the same time, and inter-porting losses from thehigher pressure region of the discharge port to the lower pressureregion of the suction port should be avoided. As shown in FIG. 7 , theconventional design of the gerotor pump includes the region in whichexpansion of cavity takes place and gives the basis to form a suctionport 30, and similarly, a discharge port 32 is formed in the followingcontraction region. Suction port 30 and discharge port 32 are symmetricbean shaped ports at the suction and discharge side, respectively. Thebean shaped suction port 30 includes upstream side 30 a and downstreamside 30 b.

As the pump is reversible (bi-directional), the suction port 30 and thedischarge port 32 are symmetric about x-axis. As shown in FIG. 8A,suction port 30 of the present invention is provided with prolongations31 and 31′ at both upstream side 30 a and downstream side 30 b,respectively. As shown in FIG. 8B, prolongation 31 at upstream side 30 aof suction port 30 is provided to increase cavity filling time whenrotor rotates in reverse direction, and prolongation 31′ at downstreamside 30 b of suction port 30 is provided to increase cavity filling timewhen rotor rotates in clockwise direction. Cavity 50′ in FIG. 8B showsthat the cavity is about to connect to discharge port 32 and leavesuction port 30, though the cavity should never connect discharge andsuction ports at the same time to avoid inter-porting losses from thehigher pressure region of the discharge port to the lower pressureregion of the suction port.

As further illustrated in FIGS. 9A and 9B, suction port 30 isterminating in the rotation direction of the rotor sets with twoprolongations 31 and 31′. The shape and dimensions of prolongations 31and 31′ are designed such that suction and discharge ports do notconnect to the same captured volume and inter-porting losses from highto low pressure side do not take place. Prolongation 31′ at downstreamside 30 b direct more fluid into cavity to fill it substantially.Prolongation 31 at upstream side 30 a of rotor are given for the samepurpose when rotor is in reverse direction.

FIGS. 10A to 10F show analysis results for the vapor volume fraction forthe conventional gerotor pump and the reversible gerotor pump with theprolongation at the suction port at 0 degree, 30 degree, and 60 degreeof rotor rotation at 5000 rpm and 0.5 bar back pressure. As shown inFIGS. 10A and 10D, suction starts at 0 degree and advances in directionof rotation which is captured at 30 degree (FIGS. 10B and 10E) and 60degree (FIGS. 10C and 10F). In conventional gerotor pump at 5000 rpm, at0 degree as shown in FIG. 10A, the low pressure regions form at theupstream side on the right due to expansion of the cavity before suctionport, and vapor fraction is carried from suction port as shown by the 3large areas on the left; at 30 degree as shown in FIG. 10B, vaporintensity in the cavity at upstream side in FIG. 10A is getting reducedas it exposes to higher pressure fluid at suction port, while at thedownstream side, vapor fraction is carried from suction port as seen atthe upper portion of FIG. 10B; at 60 degree as shown in FIG. 10C, vaporformation can be seen at the downstream side of the suction port (rightside) due to insufficient cavity filling, while on left side, a largevapor fraction is carried from the suction port to the discharge port.In summary, in the conventional design, as the cavity volume increases,the vapor fraction also increases because of insufficient filling, i.e.,vapor at the discharge side is carried from the suction port (but it isnot generated at the discharge port).

In comparison, in the reversible gerotor pump at 5000 rpm, at 0 degreeas shown in FIG. 10D, the low pressure regions form at the upstream sideon the right due to expansion of the cavity before suction port, whilethere is no vapor fraction carried from suction port on the left; at 30degree as shown in FIG. 10E, as the prolongation on the suction portimproves the cavity filling time which results in sufficient filling andprevents cavitation, the vapor intensity in the cavity moving towardsthe upstream side is getting further reduced as it exposes to higherpressure fluid at suction port, and there is no vapor fraction at thedownstream side, and no vapor fraction is carried from suction port; at60 degree as shown in FIG. 10F, no significant vapor formation is shownat the downstream side of the suction port (right side), while oninter-porting cavity on the top and at the left side, there is no vaporfraction. In summary, the reversible gerotor pump having theprolongations increases the cavity filling time which results insufficient filling and prevent cavitation.

As shown in FIG. 12 , the fill speed of the pump improves to above 5000rpm, and up to 5370 rpm in comparison to the conventional pump at 3330rpm—an increase in the fill speed by 2040 rpm.

As shown in FIG. 13 , an increase in the volumetric efficiency of 29% isachieved, i.e., from 68% to 97%, at 5000 rpm speed, which exceeds theCTQ requirement. FIG. 13 shows that there is significant increase in thevolumetric efficiency in the cavitation zone, that is, after 3330 rpm,and the volumetric efficiency increases even at lower pump speeds wherecavitation is not taking place due to improved filling through theprolongations.

The prolongations on the suction port of the reversible gerotor pumpsystem may be manufactured in all sizes of reversible gerotor pumps toimprove the volumetric efficiency and maximum operating speed. Thesuction port of the reversible gerotor pump system can be implemented onany lubrication pump. It is beneficial in the transmission system forvehicles and is particularly useful for medium and heavy-duty electricvehicle transmissions, as an example. The reversible gerotor pump can beused in other applications than vehicle transmissions. It is easilymanufacturable since High Pressure Die Casting (HPDC) is used tomanufacture the pump housing. There is no addition in the weight ofpump, and it is cost effective and helps to reduce the overall size ofthe port by reducing other dimensions, such as the depth and width ofthe port, while maintaining the required volumetric efficiency. Thesuction port meets all technology feasibility, manufacturability, andcost aspects.

The reversible gerotor lubrication pump provides a compact design due tothe radial position of the eccentricity adjusting reversing ring. Selfactuation based on the inertia of the eccentricity adjusting ring andthe rotational friction during reversal operation eliminate the need forexternal actuation. The transmission gear gets lubrication from sameport in either clockwise or counterclockwise direction of rotation withhigh pump volume and utilization rates, whether at slow or high speed.

A transmission system for vehicles can comprise the reversible gerotorpump system of the present disclosure. The reversible gerotor pumpsystem can be used for supplying hydraulic fluid in the transmissionsystem of any vehicles and is particularly useful in the transmissionsystem for medium and heavy-duty electric vehicles. An electric vehiclecan comprising the transmission system disclosed herein. The electricvehicle can be a heavy duty truck.

The description is exemplary in nature and one of skill would understandthat variations are intended to be within the scope of the presentinvention.

We claim:
 1. A reversible gerotor pump system, comprising a cylindricalhousing comprising a slot of 180 degree along a periphery of thehousing, and the slot being defined by a first end at top and a secondend at bottom, an eccentric ring positioned within the housing with aradial clearance C3 between the eccentric ring and the housing, alocking pin being fixed to the eccentric ring and movably engagedbetween the first end and the second end in the slot, an outer rotorpositioned within the eccentric ring with a radial clearance C2 betweenthe eccentric ring and the outer rotor, the outer rotor being eccentricwith the eccentric ring and comprising a plurality of internal teethwith recesses between adjacent teeth, an inner rotor positioned withinthe outer rotor, the inner rotor comprising a plurality of externalteeth, wherein at least a portion of the external teeth of the innerrotor are engaged with at least a portion of the internal teeth of theouter rotor, and the inner rotor and the outer rotor are eccentricrelative to one another with an inner rotor tip clearance Ci beingdefined as a radial clearance between a tip of the external teeth andcorresponding portion of the outer rotor, and the plurality of meshedteeth of the inner rotor and the outer rotor form a plurality ofcavities that expand and contract as the shaft, inner rotor, and outerrotor rotate; a shaft being coupled with the inner rotor for rotatablydriving the inner rotor with a radial clearance C1 between the shaft andthe inner rotor, a suction port for providing hydraulic fluid to thecavity being expanded, the suction port comprising an upstream side anda downstream side, and a discharge port for discharging hydraulic fluidfrom the cavity being contracted, wherein the locking pin stops at thefirst end to stop rotation of the eccentric ring when the shaft rotatesin clockwise direction in a first position; when the shaft rotates inreverse direction, the eccentric ring is driven to rotate incounterclockwise rotation direction by contact force between theeccentric ring and the outer rotor to pass through a second positionwhere the eccentric ring, the inner rotor, and the outer rotor rotate asone part along with the shaft, and the radial clearance C3 is greaterthan the sum of C1, C2, and Ci in the second position; the locking pinstops at the second end to stop rotation of the eccentric ring when theshaft rotates in the counterclockwise direction in a third position; andthe suction port and the discharge port respectively function forsucking and discharging a hydraulic fluid unidirectionally in bothclockwise and counterclockwise rotation directions wherein the eccentricring is of convex profile on outer diameter.
 2. The reversible gerotorpump system of claim 1, wherein interior diameter contact is present atradial clearances C1 and C2 at the second position.
 3. The reversiblegerotor pump system of claim 1, further comprising a positive contactsystem, wherein the positive contact system increases frictional forcebetween an interior side of the eccentric ring and the outer rotor forrotation.
 4. The reversible gerotor pump system of claim 3, wherein apositive contact mechanism comprises a cavity at the interior side ofthe eccentric ring, a spring inside the cavity in a constantlycompressed state, and a plunger inside the cavity and being constantlypressed by the spring, wherein compression of the spring applies a loadN on the outer rotor through the plunger, and friction force F′ offormula F′=μ*N, μ is a coefficient of the frictional contact, is appliedto rotate the eccentric ring with the outer rotor and inner rotor duringrotation direction change.
 5. The reversible gerotor pump system ofclaim 4, wherein the plunger is coated with a Ferritic Nitro-Carburizing(FNC) friction coating.
 6. The reversible gerotor pump system of claim4, wherein the cavity is formed by a drill through hole in the eccentricring with a cap added at the outer diameter of the eccentric ring. 7.The reversible gerotor pump system of claim 1, wherein a positivecontact system is a frictional disc brake type mechanism comprisingspring, piston, and pads, and the frictional disc brake system providesspring force to hold the eccentric ring and the outer rotor at thesecond position, and outlet pressure releases pads and allow theeccentric ring and the outer rotor to rotate freely in the first andthird positions.
 8. The reversible gerotor pump system of the claim 1,wherein the locking pin moves in the slot with clearance at bothclockwise and counterclockwise directions to provide a self-dampingeffect to avoid loading impact.
 9. The reversible gerotor pump system ofthe claim 1, further comprising prolongations on the suction port at theupstream side and the downstream side, wherein the prolongationsincrease filling time for the cavities when the reversible gerotor pumpsystem rotates.
 10. The reversible gerotor pump system of the claim 9,wherein fill speed is above 5000 rpm.
 11. The reversible gerotor pumpsystem of the claim 10, wherein volumetric efficiency is at least 90% at5000 rpm.
 12. A transmission system for vehicles comprising thereversible gerotor pump system of claim
 1. 13. An electric vehiclecomprising the transmission system of claim
 12. 14. The electric vehicleof claim 13, wherein the electric vehicle is a heavy duty truck.